Finally The California Coast!When I left Minnesota my plan was to escape the cold winters and see the west coast. All I could think of were the warm sunny beaches of California. After leaving Las Vegas, my sites were set on LA, Hollywood and the Pacific beaches. California has always been a place that you heard about but never visited, at least for a mid-west girl like myself. Finally arrive here seemed more like a dream than reality. Wow is it COLD!!I drive straight from Las Vegas directly to Huntington Beach. I wanted my first experience in California to be at the beach. When ever I pictured California it was of beautiful people on a warm sunny beach. So when I arrived at the beach it was about 1PM . I got out of the car and noticed there was a strong coll breeze coming from the ocean. I had my bathing suite on under my clothes so I stripped down, grabbed my towel and headed for the beach. I was surprised to see a lot of people in sweatshirts and long pants. The temperature was in the low 70's and for me this was pretty warm . Although not nearly as warm as I was expecting. As I approached the beach I slip of my sandals, dropped my towel and ran into the water. WOW was it COLD! the water was nothing like the lakes in Minnesota, at least when I swam in them during the summer. Taking In The SunAfter my experience with the frigid Pacific waters it felt really good to lay in the sun and take in some rays. This time of year it is fairly cool to out right cold back home. It felt great to finally be here in California. it was a life long dream to be hear and I felt like I was living a fantasy.
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How I Pictured The WestCasper Wyoming was exactly how I pictured the west. I saw a lot of men in cowboy hats, driving pick up trucks with guns in the gun rack. Casper was not a tourist trap like a lot of the towns I visited so far. This was an actually genuine western town and I love it! The natural scenery surrounding the town of Casper was incredible. At least it was for me. It was very different than the geography of Minnesota. I was planning on spending a few days to explore Casper once I was here. The people of Casper were very friendly and helpful. They gave me plenty of advice to good places to see while I was here. I wanted to see some of the local treasures as well as the natural attractions of the area. I was told that the Tate Geological Museum and the Fort Casper Museum were must see places. Fort Casper MusemThe For Casper Museum was really cool to see. It was a mid 19th century military outpost that was recreated in 1936. The recreated fort was built of drawings and sketches of the original fort. The original fort was dismantled and moved with the troops when the orders were given to relocate closer to the newly built railroads. With only a $4 admission it was well worth the visit Tate Geological MuseumThe coolest thing is this museum is part of the Casper college. The museum is a great exhibit of fossils and geological information about Casper and the surrounding areas. The admission is free but they do have a donation box. I made a donation and suggest you do as well. It really was a nice exhibit. Hell's Half AcreAbout a half an hour west of Casper I stopped at Hell's Half Acre. There isn't much to see or do here as far as any tourist trap type attractions, which I love. It is an interesting scenic view and well worth the stop. If you have kids i would suggest that you keep them back from the edge. I wouldn't want them to fall in. Now I am off to Salt Lake City.
Arriving at SturgisAll i have ever heard about Sturgis was the annual motorcycle rally. I was about a month late for the annual rally and to be honest, I do not ride and no one in my family does either. But while I was here I had to at least stop and see some of the sites. Cool Little Western TownSturgis is a cool western town with wide streets and early 20th century buildings lining the streets. The buildings have been beautifully preserved which shows the care the people have for their beloved town. The population of Sturgis is less than 7,00 people making it a small town. But when they have the rally the it brings in over 500,000 riders and a lot of business to this quiet little town. The town makes most of its revenue during the rally and many of the businesses that are open during the rally are closed the rest of the year. Sturgis Motorcycle MuseumThe Sturgis Motorcycle Museum was open and I did take the tour. I am not a big fan of motorcycles but it was one of the few attractions open during the off season. So I paid my $10 plus tax ($10.65) and did the museum. I must say that seeing all the historical motorcycles and the displays was really neat. If you are ever in the area during the off season I would recommend making the little detour to check it out. Although it was not the place it is hyped up to being. I had to keep in ind it was the off season. Deadwood-The Sign Said It AllThe sign leading into Deadwood told what I was about to see, a tourist trap. I had watched the HBO series Deadwood a on a movie binge a few years back and was expecting to see some historical ghost town. But it was a polished up version of Deadwood with dozens of tourist shops. I could have saved my self the time and detour by just checking out their website I don't want to totally bash the town because it was nicely kept and the people were very friendly. I was just very disappointed at the cheesiness of how the town was exploited for is history. Mt RushmoreMt Rushmore is one of the many parks I plan to see on my trips. Unfortunately, they do not take the National Parks annual pass for their parking. The fee was $10 and well worth it. I had already purchased my annual pass for $80 and will have plenty of chances to use it on this trip.
I really enjoyed the time I spent at Mt Rushmore and too plenty of pictures and meet a lot of people from around the world. It was the best of the 3 places I stopped on this day. By the time I left Mt Rushmore it was getting late and I wanted to get to a hotel in Casper WY for tonight. With a 4 hour ride ahead of me today was a long day. Not What I Was ExpectingMy first stop was in Bismark, ND. I was thinking I would spend a day or two at each stopping point on my way to California. i had only book a room for Bismark for the first night and nothing for the rest of my trip. I got to Bismark 1 PM which was way to early to check into my hotel. So I drove around town to take in some of the sites. Not really looking at Bismark beyond where it was located on the map. I was not really sure what I was expecting. But once I was here I was not overly impressed. It was fairly flat and wide open. It was a typical western town full of friendly people and limited things to do. Pub 21While I was out surveying the area I did come across Pub 21. It was kind of a bar/restaurant/casino. I found it unique and spent the better part of my afternoon there. I had a bite to eat, a few beers and played slots for a little while. I had never gambled before so I limited my self to $20. At the end of 2 hours I has up $5. So I figured, I would get while I was ahead.
It was now Evening and figured i would head to my hotel and get to bed early so I could hit the road early. I was excited to be heading off top see Sturgis, Deadwood and Mt. Rushmore. I am a big fan of Game of Thrones and I too do not look forward to the long winter that is coming. Living in the far north, with long and very cold winters has been my life since I was born. I have always dreamed of living in a warm place with sandy beaches and warm winters. Until now that was not a possibility. Being born and raised in the small town of Littlefork, MN I am a mid-west girl that really has not seen much of the world other than through a TV screen. Both of my parents are hard working people and have taught me to work hard for what you get. My parents never had the money to take us on a vacation beyond fishing and camping trips every summer. I always new i wanted to see more of what the world had to offer. After completing high school I was determined to leave my home and create an opportunity that would give me a way out. 4 years later, I have graduated the University of Minnesota in Duluth with my BA in Sociology . I plan to look for work in somewhere much warmer then Minnesota. My thoughts are California but I want to explore the country first and see whee it is that I really want to start my career. The 4 years I was in college I worked a full-time job during school. During the summer months I kept my full-time job and picked up a second job at Grandma's Saloon and Grill on the Duluth Pier. Fortunately, I was able to live with my Aunt Jane and uncle Thomas in the spare room they had at their place. This allowed me to save up quiet a bit of money for the vacation I am about to embark on. Today I Hit The RoadWith my car already packed, I was ready to hit the road as soon as I woke up. My mom insisted that I have breakfast with the family before I hit the road. I am glad that i did since I did not plan to be back for about a year, or longer. I was going to miss seeing my mom and dad but I also knew they were only a phone call away.
So after breakfast I fit the road toward California. But my first stop would be Bismark, ND |
AuthorHi, I am Michelle Mires, I recently graduated college and decided to take a year to travel before I head into the working world. ArchivesCategories |